DI and NAIA Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings Released

CLEVELAND – In the first set of winter Learfield Directors’ Cup standings for Division I and second set of winter standings for NAIA, Stanford widens the gap between first and second place by accumulating a total of 752.75 points to lead Division I, while Biola remains in 1st by adding points with a top 10 finish in men’s basketball in the NAIA standings.

Stanford added 273.25 points to its score by coming in 8th in men’s indoor track & field, 16th in women’s indoor track & field and 19th in wrestling. Biola’s lead has narrowed, but it is still in control of the NAIA standings by placing 9th in men’s basketball.

In Division I, Michigan moves up four spots and is in second place with 541.25 total points and 222.75 coming in the winter (6th in women’s indoor track & field, 9th in wrestling and 58th in men’s indoor track & field). In 3rd is Minnesota with 532 points (1st in national collegiate women’s ice hockey, 17th in wrestling and 44th in men’s indoor track & field). The Buckeyes of Ohio State leap 12 spots to 4th with 522.5 points (3rd in wrestling, 7th in national collegiate rifle and 24th in men’s indoor track & field). Dropping two spots, but still rounding out the top-five is Virginia with 465.25 points (8th in men’s indoor track & field and 48th in wrestling).

The Division I top-10 is dominated by the Pac 12 and Big Ten conferences with four institutions each – Stanford (1st), Oregon (8th), USC (9th) and Washington (10th) from the Pac 12, and Michigan (2nd), Minnesota (3rd) OhioState (4th) and PennState (6th) from the Big Ten.

In NAIA, Olivet Nazarene has climbed two spots from 4th to 2nd with a total of 538 points and 376 of those points coming in the winter (added 70 points by placing 5th in women’s basketball in these standings). Lindsey Wilson stays constant at 3rd with a total of 529 points (5th place finish in women’s basketball). Wayland Baptist drops two spots to 4th (17th in both men’s and women’s basketball). Rounding out the top-5 is Campbellsville, which jumped from just outside of the top-10 (11th) in the last standings with a total of 447 points (3rd in men’s basketball and 5th in women’s basketball).

The Mid-South, Sooner and Cascade Conferences lead all NAIA conferences in the top-10 with two institutions each – Lindsey Wilson (3rd) and Campbellsville (5th) from the Mid-South, WaylandBaptist (4th) and OklahomaCity (8th) from the Sooner Conference and from the Cascade, SouthernOregon (6th) and CollegeofIdaho (10th).

The Learfield Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports in Division I – 10 men’s and 10 women’s; and 12 sports in the NAIA – six women’s and six men’s.

The next Division I winter standings will be released Thursday, April 7.

About Learfield: An industry leader for more than four decades, Learfield has a deep presence in the college athletics landscape nationwide. It manages the multimedia and sponsorship rights for 120 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas, and supports athletic departments at all competitive levels as title sponsor of the prestigious Learfield Directors’ Cup. Learfield also provides its collegiate partners access to professional concessions and ticket sales; licensing and trademark consulting; digital platform expertise; and venue and technology systems through its affiliated companies. For more about Learfield’s history, businesses and career opportunities, visit www.learfieldsports.com.